Special Hobby 1/48 Avro Anson Mk.I ‘Anti-Submarine Annie’Reviewed by Zac Yates
Scale: 1/48
Item #: SH48211
Price: €52.10 direct from Special Hobby. Also available through quality hobby retailers worldwide.
Contents: five grey sprues; one clear sprue; 42 polyurethane resin parts; one photo-etched fret; three decal options. Review kit kindly provided by Special Hobby at
https://www.specialhobby.eu/avro-anson-mk-iBackground:The Avro Anson was a twin-engined multi-role aircraft built for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Anson served with the British Fleet Air Arm, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force and numerous other air forces before, during, and after the Second World War.
Developed during the mid-1930s from the earlier Avro 652 airliner in response to a request for tenders issued by the British Air Ministry for a coastal maritime reconnaissance aircraft, the prototype Avro Type 652A first flew on on 24 March 1935. Following an evaluation in which the Type 652A bettered the competing De Havilland DH.89, an Air Ministry specification was written around the type and an initial order for 174 aircraft was placed ordered in July 1935. The Type 652A was promptly named after British Admiral George Anson.
The type was placed into service with the RAF and was initially used in the maritime reconnaissance operation alongside the larger flying boats. After the outbreak of the Second World War, the Anson was soon found to have become obsolete in front-line combat roles and large numbers of the type were instead put to use as a multi-engine aircrew trainer, having been found to be suitable for the role, and became the mainstay of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The type continued to be used in this role throughout and after the conflict, remaining in RAF service as a trainer and communications aircraft until 28 June 1968.
By the end of production in 1952, a total of 8,138 Ansons had been constructed by Avro in nine variants and a further 2,882 aircraft were manufactured by Federal Aircraft Ltd in Canada from 1941. Three fly today with several others on museum display. (Abridged from Wikipedia)
Special Hobby’s modelThis kit has its origins in the Classic Airframes model first released in 2006, which went on to have five reissues with different decals and/or new parts. The first release by Special Hobby was in 2007 and this is the third boxing from that company. The biggest difference between this boxing and the CA ones is that several parts – notably the fuselage interior framing, engines and exhausts – are moulded in grey styrene rather than resin.
The two new sprues featuring these parts are in a darker grey than the originals but are of a similar style to the latter, in that they have no locating tabs for any parts. The detail on the new sprues, however, is nicer and engraved elements are of a uniform depth when compared to the originals. Many parts are duplicated on the new sprue (or in resin as related below) or not required for this boxing and more than thirty are crossed out in the instructions as not for use.
The kit is a product of its time, and its limited run origins show through. There is flash on quite a few parts, including prominent ejector pin towers inside the engine cowlings on the new sprue, and a painful combination of flash and a pin inside the delicate DF loop.
Almost no locator pins or tabs are present, which is expected with older moulds. However a stumbling block for many modellers will be that the large wings, made of left and right upper and lower halves, must be butt-joined to the fuselage halves (likewise for the horizontal stabilisers). The lack of a spar or, as with Special Hobby’s Oxford in this scale, a single-piece lower wing, means the builder will need to use very strong glue or create their own method of securing these heavy pieces of plastic.
Raised detail on the wings is somewhat pronounced compared to photographs of real wooden-winged Ansons. Some modellers may like this, and others may not. Some careful sanding would assist in reducing this effect.
On the plus side, the interior looks suitably ‘busy’, which is a positive given the extensive glazing.
The spars carry through the cabin and must be stepped over when travelling through the cabin, and parts D30 and D31 are included to replicate this.
Another potential cause for headaches are the props. As moulded they do not look quite like the wooden props used on many Ansons and, once the flash has been removed, will require reshaping. Another issue is that while location tabs are provided for the hub parts these are off-centre and will need to be filed away. Thankfully, etched hubs are provided for the front of the propeller piece.
There are 38 resin parts which are finely moulded and will all need to be removed from pour stubs – some allow more margin for error than others.
Two sets of beautifully-thin engine cowlings are provided but only one is seen in the instructions, and an educated guess must be made as to which to use.
The only moulding flaws seen on the review example are pinholes on the very thin seat backs – the seats themselves don’t look much like the Mk.I based at this reviewer’s local airfield (which has garnered worldwide acclaim for its authenticity) and the scratches intended to create the look of leather are poor, but these may reflect a different design used in other Ansons.
The single photoetch fret is a highlight as many parts – chiefly the various seatbelts and the two-piece instrument panel – have been prepainted. Other small details such as propeller hubs, and control surface actuators, are also provided.
The clear parts – vital for an aircraft with famously large windows – are thankfully excellent.
Instructions:The instruction booklet is Special Hobby’s usual good quality colour instruction manual, which includes a brief description of the aircraft, a parts breakdown, recommended paints (in Gunze numbers), 44 step construction guide, and good three-view colour drawings for each colour scheme. No complaints here.
Markings:The kit features three marking options.
1. EG359, Groupe Artois, escadrille Arras, based at Point Noire, French West Africa, 1943. This otherwise very plain aircraft has both French roundels and Crosses of Lorraine and an unusual patch of Sand painted on the starboard side of the vertical stabiliser, which is not explained in the instructions as one has come to expect from Special Hobby kits. This and the third marking option both feature Dark Earth and Dark Green camouflage over Sky undersides.
2. K6285/MW-F, No. 321 (Dutch) Sqn, RAF Carew Cheriton, late 1940. This aircraft features a small orange triangle (applied by the crew to acknowledge their heritage). The painting diagram says to apply Dark Earth and Dark Green camouflage over Sky undersides but also explains “Silver Dope or Sky Grey” may have been used depending on which reference is used.
3. N5331/5, No. 6 Air Observer & Navigator School, Staverton, early 1945. Interestingly for an aircraft depicted so late in the war the serial is in large lettering under the wings. The decals for the upper wing roundels give the appearance of the white areas being roughly overpainted and the instructions note this airframe was heavily weathered and dirty, particularly on the underside, due to its frequent use.
Decals:The decals come on two sheets, the colours are good, they are in register and have some carrier film – typical of recent Special Hobby kits. I only have two issues: the grey codes appear “cloudy” as the colour isn’t uniform, and there are only two stencils provided (on a full-size wartime Anson they’re everywhere on the airframe).
Summary and Verdict:This has been a tough review to write for two reasons. First, I’m in the fortunate position of living nearby an exquisite flying example of an early Anson which I’ve been very graciously allowed aboard and to photograph in preparation for building a model. As such, I am very familiar with many aspects of the original aircraft. The other unfortunate reason is this kit’s rerelease comes so soon after the brand-new Airfix kit in the same scale. As such, comparison between these two kits is inevitable.
Whilst I have loved Special Hobby’s new releases (the 1/72 P-40s in particular are gems I love to build), this kit is a product of its age (having been first released nearly 20 years ago), and its limited run heritage. It is a shame that perhaps more of the kit wasn’t retooled, but to do so would likely be a significant additional expense, and not alter the core aspects of the base kit.
The competition (i.e. the Airfix kit) has received excellent reviews, and looks like it builds quite easily, without the same challenges as the Special Hobby kit, whilst providing just as much (if not superior) detail. Accordingly, in this reviewers opinion, even though the Special Hobby kit may be slightly cheaper than the Airfix kit, the competition makes the Special Hobby kit a harder sell if they were both on the shelf next to each other.
For all this reviewer’s nitpicking, the kit will still build into a gorgeous replica of an early Anson with excellent interior detail that the patient modeller will do great things with.
Recommended for the experienced modeller.
(Review sample kindly supplied by Special Hobby. Please support the businesses that support your Forum.)
